


Lay Me Down

by f1stan



Category: Formula 1 RPF
Genre: Comfort fic, M/M, Post-Belgian GP 2019
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-06
Updated: 2019-09-06
Packaged: 2020-10-11 03:56:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 769
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20539721
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/f1stan/pseuds/f1stan
Summary: Pierre and Charles, post Italian GP Thursday Press Conference.





	Lay Me Down

**Author's Note:**

  * For [NHL__34](https://archiveofourown.org/users/NHL__34/gifts).

“Charles! Charles!” shouted Pierre, running towards his best friend after the press conference.

Charles turned around and smiled at his best friend. He stopped walking, waiting for Pierre to catch up, slung an arm around Pierre’s shoulders once he’d caught up.

“Salut, Pierre.” He said.

Pierre and Charles decided to try to find a quiet spot away from the cameras and media attention. They found a little nook underneath some of the grandstands behind the Ferrari motorhome. They knew no one would disturb them there because media weren’t allowed near the Ferrari pit entrance. 

They started chatting, all relaxed shoulders and gesticulating hands, about the things they had done in the few days before coming to the circuit. 

“I saw my friends and Anthoine’s friends”, he whispered to Charles with tears in his eyes that he was desperately trying to keep away, “it… missed someone crucial”.

Charles hugged him then, knowing the pain this caused in an all-too-familiar way. “I know Pierre.” He soothed his best friend by holding him tightly in his arms. This was one gesture of comfort he was very familiar with and it had made him feel safe more than once in his life. The idea of Pierre breaking down again broke his heart.

He should never have to go through this, was his most prevalent thought. Charles started humming a lullaby his mother had taught him when he was young. Pierre just clung to him tighter, the tears finally falling from his cheeks, out of grief for one of his closest friends and out of frustration for the situation he was currently in. 

After about ten minutes, the tears on Pierre’s cheeks had finally dried a little. Charles relaxed his embrace and took Pierre’s hand. He led them into the Ferrari motorhome through the back entrance, reserved to the drivers and their physio’s when they did not want to be seen. 

Charles and Pierre swiftly walked towards the former’s driver’s room, containing a little sofa and Charles’s lucky turtle plush. There were tissues on the table in the room which Charles quickly gave to Pierre upon entering. They sat on the sofa together, in silence and quiet contemplation about the fragility of their lives for Pierre and about the peacefulness of being with Pierre for the Ferrari driver. 

Pierre was the first to break the silence. “Merci, Shar” he said, holding a tissue in one hand and laying his head on Charles’ shoulder. 

Charles just reached his hand up to Pierre’s head and took his cap off, putting it on the side table and getting rid of one part of Pierre’s armour against the world. He softly caressed his hair, making the blonde/brown strands more even and flat, and revealing Pierre’s eyes under the Toro Rosso cap he wore on his head.

“Ça va aller, Pierrot. On est forts ensemble, tous les deux. Tu peux compter sur moi.” Charles whispered to his best friend, starting to hum the lullaby again.

Pierre closed his eyes and fell asleep, head fully on Charles’ shoulder. Charles didn’t move, except for the continuous movement of his hand in Pierre’s hair.

*********

A soft knock on the door followed by a slow door opening made Charles move slightly. 

“Hey Charles.” said Seb, unsurprised by the sight of Pierre sleeping on Charles. On the contrary, he made sure that no one in the hallway saw anything before quickly but quietly shutting the door. “How is he?” he asked, looking at Pierre.

“Not too good. Anthoine’s death was the worst moment for him. They became friends right after we met. He was supposed to be with us for a long time.”  
That last part he choked on several times, because they had all lived through so much together and Charles misses him very much as well. Sebastian sat next to Charles and gave him tissues, mindful of Pierre still sleeping. 

He whispered reassurances while letting Charles cry and comforted him as best he could. Charles eventually fell asleep out of exhaustion, of telling so many stories of the shenanigans him, Anthoine, Pierre and Esteban used to get up to. 

Sebastian looked around the room and found a blanket that would cover Pierre and Charles of them. He stood up slowly, shook the blanket, covered Charles and Pierre in it, then softly retreated from the room.  
He warned some of the personnel to not enter Charles’ room for the next hour, “unless the whole building is burning”. 

He then sent a text to Franz Tost, telling him Pierre was safe and that he would be brought back later on in the afternoon.


End file.
